Time off from work?

DH7066

Hi, my wife is going to have a mastectomy in a couple of weeks and I am not sure how long I should take off work to help her with recovery. She is going to also have an expander put in by a plastic surgeon.

moth

In my area this is done as either day surgery or overnight. People are up and walking within hours - even in hospital, pts get up and walk as soon as not dizzy, even if still on iv pain meds, This is all part of the enhanced recovery after surgery protocols (ERAS) here. Most surgeons inject a lot of long lasting pain medication into the tissue so pain is well controlled. There will be drains to deal with and some discomfort but really, healthy pts should be up and about on their own. Do check what your surgeon & hospital do but ERAS is really the latest evidence based practice.

no heavy lifting etc. Constipation is often the primary complaint - be proactive on this. Prevention is better than cure.

I would say 2 days would be good (& day of surgery and day after) but if you want to keep her company and go for walks together etc longer than that would be nice too. There will be follow up appointments for drain removal and whatever other treatment she needs later so if you have limited leave, I'd consider saving it.

Is the current plan chemo or no? (acknowledging of course that treatment isn't fully decided till after surgery and full pathology is done)

Beesie

My only additions to moth's post are to say that your wife won't be able to drive for a while, and won't be able to do any household tasks that involve lifting (heavy laundry bottles) or reaching (getting dishes or food out of high cupboards) or pushing/pulling (vacuuming, heavy doors). What's important is that she not strain or stretch the incision - it takes 6 weeks for most incisions to heal enough that they can stand normal pressures. None of this requires that you stay home - many women who live alone manage just fine after MX surgery - but you will both need to do pre-planning (put dishes on the counter, pour detergent into small containers) and you will have to pitch in and assist.

DH7066

She went through 16 rounds of Chemo already and has invasive breast cancer with small endocrine features which has gone into the lymph nodes and will possibly have to have radiation treatment after the surgery. Thank y'all for the response, I am sure I will have to take more time off in the future.

MinusTwo

Agreeing with Moth & Beesie. Save your time off. My son came from out of town. He was there the day of surgery & I stayed at the hospital overnight because it took a LONG time to stop the nausea. But he was only in town 2 days after I got home. I had already prepared my kitchen & bedroom & etc. The driving is definitely off the table if she's taking strong drugs. I transitioned off opioids after 48 hours. I'll dig out the 'what to expect' surgery thread and send the link.

Here you go DH. What to prepare for. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topics...

DH7066

Ah thanks for the link. This will be very useful.

flashlight

Do you have children?